Continuing the tradition we started back in 2017, we spent 7 nights camping at Gladstone Provincial Park in July to celebrate our daughter’s 7th birthday (7 nights for 7 years). We’ve done a lot of camping in BC, but this was our longest consecutive stretch in a tent and we spent it at one of the nicest provincial parks we’ve ever visited. Gladstone Park is along Christina Lake in BC’s Kootenays – a long way from Vancouver but worth the drive.
Christina Lake advertises itself as “the warmest tree-lined lake in Western Canada”, and it did not disappoint. The water was crystal-clear and the perfect temperature for swimming.
There’s a small town at the south end of the lake with a grocery store, restaurants, ice cream shops, and paddleboard rentals. There’s also another provincial park in town (Christina Lake Park) with a big sandy beach and picnic tables for day use.
Our visit overlapped with Homecoming Summerfest – a community festival with live music and lots of activities. Astrid had a blast checking out all the demonstrations from the fire department.
As a special surprise this year, my dad joined us for the last 3 nights of our trip. I think it was his first time sleeping in a tent in over 20 years and he handled it like a pro. It was a great way to spend some quality time with him.
We played catch, went hiking, and did crossword puzzles.
Other highlights of the trip included:
Paddleboarding on Christina Lake. Astrid was nervously clinging to the board when we started but was confidently paddling on the way back.
Vegan ice cream and slushees to help us cool down. It was over 30 C every day.
Hiking around the Kettle River Canyon. The Trans Canada Trail to get there is flat and exposed (probably better for bikes) but the canyon area was very cool to explore.
Playing in Texas Creek and building little boats to float downstream.
Cooking on the campfire and roasting marshmallows. We were lucky to visit the week before the province-wide fire ban came into effect.
Learning about the local plants and animals. My dad had the Merlin Bird ID app on his phone and loved identifying the birds in our campground. Astrid had a library book with pictures and descriptions of all the trees, plants, and fungii we saw.
The fabulous playground in Gladstone Park.
Relaxing in the hammock.
Canadian Veggie 
Looks great. Thanks for sending
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[…] – we went camping for 1 night. When she was two, we went for two nights. Last year, we spent 7 nights camping at Christina Lake. But that was the end of the tradition. We still love camping and will try to go […]
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